A Tale of Two Parties

Lola makes her way to the guest of honor



















Locke and the birthday girl playing together at her party













The family after the vintage fire truck ride







Lola and Locke are members of a little toddler posse comprised of kids all close the same age. A couple of their friends turned two recently so we've dipped a toe into the world of kids' birthday parties.

Now I've always been skeptical of the giant parties with hired performers and invitations extended to every member of the school. But I also never realized that parents can receive such genuine pleasure from watching their kids have fun. Not that I believe you have to drop a few thousand for your kids to have fun. In fact, I still firmly believe that money and extravagance has no bearing on the pleasure of a two-year-old. And the two birthday parties we experienced are a tribute to that fact. Next year, however, may be a different story altogether.

One party was held at the gang's favorite park and playground, so they were already comfortable with their surroundings and were immediately happy to be there. There were the usual draws — the swings, slides, ladders and climbing wall. But this time there were even more toys to play with — push toys, riding toys, balls, and bubbles. Plus, there were cupcakes with Dora and Boots in a beach scene on top. What more could a two-year-old want?

In the week leading up to the party, I'd been preparing L+L for the fun time they were going to have that weekend. And each time I mentioned the party, Locke would say, "cake?" "Yes," I'd answer, "you get to eat yummy cake!" So, for 5 or 6 days, we talked about swings, slides, presents, and, most importantly, cake.

When we finally got to the party, L+L were so excited by all their friends and the push cars and the presents and balloons, that they wouldn't even try the cupcakes. They even yelled "Dora and Boots!" when they saw the decorations on them, but their appetites were just no match for the excitement.

But they obviously didn't need cake to have a good time. The party was a huge hit.

The other birthday party was held at a fire station. The kids got to climb around in real fire trucks and, after hot dogs, hamburgers and cake in the station, they went for a ride around town on top of a vintage fire truck. Now, anyone reading this who is not a parent might think, hmmm, that was probably fun. But, to those of you who have kids, you can imagine what this would mean to a toddler. It would be like a teenage boy having a birthday party at Hugh Hefner's mansion!

So, after two perfect parties, we have a better understanding of what it takes to make a birthday party special. Actually, the kids had tons of fun but I think the parents enjoyed them at least as much. Getting to see your kids laughing and squealing with their friends — now that's a party.